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CNN Live Sunday

Authorities Search Edmunds' Car

Aired June 23, 2002 - 18:05   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: In West Virginia, authorities are searching Bret Michael Edmunds' car for clues that they hope will lead them to Elizabeth Smart who's been missing since June 5. CNN's Patty Davis has more now.

PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, Bret Michael Edmunds remains in serious condition here in the intensive care, critical care unit of the City Hospital in Martinsburg, West Virginia.

Now police detectives from the Salt Lake City police as well as the FBI interviewed him for many hours yesterday, and they say that they got pretty much everything they wanted from him. They are now headed back to Salt Lake City.

They also said that Edmunds was pretty cooperative. He let them search his green Saturn, which was found in the parking lot here at the hospital. It was impounded. Authorities continue to say that Edmunds is not a suspect in the kidnapping of 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart, but they're not saying what Edmunds may have told them, if anything, or if they found anything in his car.

Asked what he had been told of the detective's interview with Edmunds, Elizabeth Smart's father said, "I don't know anything conclusive yet. I just know that she's waiting for us to come and get her."

Now, Edmunds is at the hospital recovering from an apparent drug overdose. He faces charges now of Unlawful Flight. He's wanted in Utah on charges unrelated to the Elizabeth Smart case. There are two outstanding warrants in the state of Utah -- Carol.

LIN: Patty, Friday night, Edmunds was in pretty serious condition. In fact, some people were wondering if he was going to survive for this questioning, but it sounds like he is doing better.

DAVIS: That's right. They say he is in serious condition, but stable, although he is in the Intensive Care Unit. So, he is in very serious condition for somebody who's in a hospital.

But detectives were allowed to question him at the discretion of his doctors. That's what the hospital spokesperson said, and when they were interviewing him, they were here for several hours, many hours almost six yesterday, they were interrupted so that the nursing staff, the hospital staff, could take care of him. They had to get out of the room and then come back in. So, it was at the discretion of the doctors, but he is stable, is what the hospital spokeswoman said. Carol.

LIN: All right, that's good news. Thank you very much, Patty Davis in Martinsburg.

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